It’s over! Just like at Canadian Nationals, the last match of the day came down to Dark Armed Dragon versus Gladiator Beasts. And after a 2-0 sweep, Gladiators came out on top again: Michael Kohanim is a Shonen Jump Champion!
Kohanim had one of the toughest paths through the Top 16, beginning with a mirror match against Day 2 veteran Robert Ackerman. Ackerman took a Top 4 spot at the recent US National Championship, and was the definitive favorite heading into this morning’s competition, but that didn’t stop Kohanim from scoring a huge upset. And things just got better from there.
After defeating Ackerman, Kohanim faced Canadian National Champion Lazaro Bellido in another mirror. After winning the first duel, Kohanim lost the second, and when everything was lost in game 3 a brilliant topdeck saved him at the last second, allowing him to steal the match! He then blew through Tariq Williams and surprise finalist Jose Arocho, defeating Arocho’s double-Plasma Dark Armed Dragon deck in the finals!
Day 2 saw four different decks clash: Monarchs, Dark Armed Dragon, Lightsworn, and, of course, Gladiator Beasts. Lightsworn was one of the big stories of the weekend, scoring three spots in the Top 16 with Frank Schifano taking the deck to the Top 8 — Schifano just keeps creeping closer and closer to a title win with Lightsworn. The new dueling group Team Evolution put two competitors into Day 2 as well, making a strong first showing courtesy of Tim Howell and Stanley Jolibois. But the biggest showing went to Team Overdose, placing Adam Corn, Lazaro Bellido, and Dale Bellido into the Top 16.
749 duelists brought their A-game to the Pennsylvania Convention Center this weekend, but there can be only one winner. Our congratulations go out to Michael Kohanim, your new Shonen Jump Champion!
Quarterfinals |
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Semifinals |
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Finals |
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Champion |
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Anthony Ling |
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Jose Arocho |
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Jose Arocho |
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Jose Arocho |
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Adam Corn |
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Adam Corn |
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Bobby Barone |
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Michael Kohanim |
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Michael Kohanim |
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Michael Kohanim |
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Lazaro Bellido |
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Michael Kohanim |
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Frank Schifano |
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Tariq Williams |
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Tariq Williams |
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